“Are we all narcissists who simply haven’t chosen violence yet?” asks Lebanese–Australian lawyer, artist and author Amani Haydar, who was catapulted to public life in 2015 when her father murdered her mother, Salwa. There were no warning signs. …

For his sixth novel, Hari Kunzru posits a line between sanity and madness so tenuous, the slightest nudge from a malevolent actor can send someone hurtling into the mental abyss. A modestly successful but self-doubting author accepts a fellowship at …